B2B Myth of the Week: Instagram for B2B Marketing Doesn’t Work
by MGB2B
Myth: Instagram is Only for B2C Brands
Fact: Using Instagram For B2B Marketing Is Not Only Smart, It’s Necessary
So how do you go about this? Where do you begin?
Answer: Instagram for B2B marketing.
We have officially progressed into an era of marketing based on likes and followers. As much as the B2C community dominates this field, the approach of reaching users through visual content includes you too. As content continues to flood our phones by the millisecond, grabbing your audience’s attention effectively is an essential aspect of social media marketing. You must cut through the competition’s noise and shout from the rooftops, “Look at our content! Learn how we can solve your problems! And we’re engaging and relatable to boot!”
Instagram Personifies Your Brand
If you’re unfamiliar with the term Instagram-worthy, it’s a new “kids-these-days” way of describing something aesthetically pleasing. But don’t be fooled, this isn’t only applicable for trendy food pictures. Your brand has the opportunity to provide personal, visual hooks to reel your audience into your newsfeed and furthermore, your company.
Not every photo will encapsulate the mantra of your company’s motto or the services and products you provide. That’s okay; maintaining an excessively professional social media presence can be off-putting. Establish an unfiltered look at your company culture and you’re guaranteed to grant your audience a sense of familiarity that in confidence says, “This is who we are.”
[Take a look at Google’s Instagram account. There is nothing regarding search engines or computer software. Instead, you’ll find happy puppies, happy consumers, and colorful creations of the Google logo made of Fruit Loops. This may constitute as B2C branding, but as any consumer can see, Google is a bright, user-friendly company with a feed that associates happiness to their name — a universal message that will reach both consumers and businesses alike.]
We’re All People
Instagram reminds you over and over of the ‘real person’ on the other end of the content you consume, and it’s essential to establish that sense of personal presence. I’m here to remind you that in this case, that real person is you! It’s extremely important to appeal not only to the receiving business’ standards but their personal inclinations as well. Sure you’d like to maintain a professional appearance, but weekly newsletters and a well-designed website can tow that line. Using Instagram for B2B marketing is your opportunity to sell your company with personality and a purpose to please. Creating a unique hashtag, communicating directly with followers, and publicizing your employees with ear-to-ear smiles will show your business to recognizes the importance of authenticity.
Stay Up to Date on Niche Trends
Businesses want to work with other businesses that appeal to their priorities and present themselves in an approachable manner. Many times, pictures do a better job of this than words. How do you maintain this as an effective and relevant Instagram feed? By staying thoroughly active in the social media-verse. There’s nothing more impressive than scrolling by a professional account referencing a popular trend. Understandably it’s not your first priority in selling your brand, but it’s important to remind your audience that your company is keeping up with the times and in relation, holds the capacity to deliver time-relevant content for all consumers.
Stay Buyer-Focused
At the end of the day, you’re still selling — so be mindful of your target audience. What are their goals? Their pain points? What do they need? Then answer these questions, but not just in terms of your products and services. Here’s where the human connection can come to play once more. Consider their values, lifestyles, and visions and think about how your services can echo them.
The story-telling strategy behind B2C marketing is becoming increasingly applicable in the B2B space. Instagram now has 1 billion users worldwide. If you think they’re all millennials, think again. Over fifty percent of Instagram users are between the ages of 34 and 64. In the coming years, this trend will only grow, so it’s important to start testing the waters now.
If you’re still unconvinced that using Instagram for B2B marketing is worth your time, take it from these companies that continue to nail it!
Continue ReadingB2B Myth of the Week: Using Humor in B2B Marketing Is A Bad Idea
by MGB2B
Myth: B2B Brands Can’t Be Funny
Truth: Humor Can Be Effective, It Just Needs to Be Done Right
Who says B2B brands can’t be funny? Not us. True, using humor in B2B marketing requires a deft hand (think: wry smile versus a big-knee slapper). But since most B2B brands shy away from being funny, adding a dash of mirth to your marketing can make you stand out from the rest.
What Can Humor Do For Your Brand?
1. Develop Brand Affinity
It’s important to remember your audience is made of up real people with personalities. At the end of the day, your advertising and social media content is targeted at these real people, and they’re making buying decisions daily. Serving up a smile amidst copious amounts of other content can spark an affinity for your brand, giving your company a toe-hold that might not have been there before. To do so, you don’t need to whack your audience over the head. Go for subtlety rather than over-the-top comedy.
2. Get A New Spin on a Service
Many B2B brands try to include everything they do or get super technical to make a hard sell. But overwhelming your buyer isn’t going to be very helpful to them – or to you. So why not take a different approach? Cisco promoted their router by offering it up as a Valentine’s Day gift. While that seems illogical (and according to them, it is), the ad did its job by making a mark. Cisco suddenly had something it was known for, this extremely creative and humorous ad. That got people thinking about their brand – and looking at their more informative content.
3. Garner Likes – And Shares
You develop content because you want people to see it. The more eyes on your content, the higher the chance of getting the right people interested and clicking. By algorithm alone, a mere like from your audience can expand the reach of your content significantly, even more so if the content is shared. A little well-timed humor can increase your chances of both.
4. Enhance Your Story
Oftentimes, what your brand is promoting isn’t easy to explain. Especially now, when marketing is all about story-telling. Being funny adds the perfect opportunity to make your content engaging and boost your brand’s story. Tim Washer, comedian and corporate humorist, has stated, “Comedy can cut through all the noise, it makes the point in a very clever way, and it connects with people so they listen.” When done right, humor is relatable and understandable. And that adds tremendous strength to the content your brand puts out. Want to see a great example? Check out Slack Communication’s outdoor campaign.
Where can you use humor?
This depends on your brand voice, but humor can live across your content – from ads to blog posts to video content. But remember, your attempts need to back a solid message – and be distributed in the right places. Facebook is an easy place to insert a little levity, like Park New Haven does here. And although LinkedIn is a more professional channel, you can still benefit from a bit of strategically placed wit. Remember, the key is a light touch. You’re not looking to define your brand as the class clown. You’re simply looking to elicit an appreciative response. Need help getting started? Drop us a line.
Continue ReadingB2B Myth of the Week: We Don’t Need To Hire A Dedicated Social Media Person
by MGB2B
The Myth: We Don’t Need To Hire A Dedicated Social Media Person
The Truth: Social Media Success Requires A Dedicated Role
One of the best things about social media is its simplicity. My father uses Twitter, and he can barely forward an email. But this is where the simplicity ends. Using social media as a marketing channel is far more complex. If you’re thinking of having a staff member add social media to their existing duties, reconsider. There are solid gains to be made in the social landscape, but worthwhile results require dedicated effort. In short, good social media isn’t as simple as it looks.
First, Understand Why Social Media Presence is Vital
81% of the US population used social media in 2017, according to statistica. It is estimated that there were 2.34 billion users of social media last year. You can bet that folks who make purchase decisions on B2B brands were among them. If you have a dedicated person at the helm, the potential for increasing traffic and reaching new customers is limitless. A well-developed social strategy can humanize your brand and offer an efficient way for customers to engage with you. On top of this, market insights are made easy: consumer traffic and responses to certain posts show you what’s working and what isn’t in a very quick and digestible way.
Social Media is More Than Posting
Ok, so you know why you need it. But the benefits mentioned above don’t come from haphazard posting or “spraying and praying.” Here’s what a typical social media expert accomplishes:
Content strategies and calendars.
If you don’t have a firm set of goals, success can elude you. Having someone to create and update a specialized content strategy to push the brand forward and maintain its momentum is vital to your social media presence. This means strategizing a variety of blogs, white papers, infographics, and videos that all work towards the same end goal. On top of this, keeping a detailed schedule of uploads and posts provides a way to monitor the work so far and inform future ideas. This ensures nothing is being oversaturated, underutilized, or ignore. (Want to learn more about content strategies? Read this.)
Content creation and curation.
A social media person is responsible for figuring out what to post and when. This alone is fairly time-consuming. Even simple tasks like picking the right picture to accompany your blog take forethought. Your social media staff member is also responsible for directing what kind of content is needed and who will be creating it. In many cases, they’ll be jumping in and creating the content themselves. (You also need someone dedicated to creating great content, but that’s another topic altogether).
Analysis and Monitoring.
Social media moves fast. It’s hard to anyalize the data on the fly if it’s not your primary responsiblity. Your staff can respond to feedback and trends in real time, nudge what’s working and drop what isn’t. Real-time monitoring not only informs your current campaigns but the ones you haven’t designed yet.
Adjusts with the landscape.
Social media is constantly changing. Your social media specialist can identify the landscape and potential changes. It’s difficult to predict trends and adjust content on the fly if it isn’t your primary job.
This alone is a pretty big job description. And remember, there are always hiccups and social PR bumps along the way. It’s pretty hard to do it all if it’s considered an add-on to another job. In short, (and like everything else), if you want to do it well, you have to do it right.
Have questions about social media? Contact us. We’re here to help.
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